Great American Smokeout 2008: Smoking Compromises Life

Today is the national smoke out day 2008. The smokers and those who are helping others to quit smoking celebrating (if you can call it that way) the 33rd Great American Smokeout 2008. The American Cancer Society that has inaugurated the Great American Smokeout in 1976 in a new release says smoking compromises the quality of life even in the old age.

According to American Cancer Society "University of Helsinki researchers followed a group of 1658 men for 26 years, and found that those who smoked 20 or more cigarettes a day (heavy smokers) had far more difficulty later in life than non-smokers, even if they quit smoking during the study period. Never-smokers, meanwhile, lived 10 years longer and enjoyed a better quality-of-life in their later years than heavy smokers.

"It is not just that the heavy smoker loses 10 years of life expectancy but rather than at any given age, the functional capacities of the heavy smoker are equivalent to those of nonsmokers who are 10 years older. The clear message is that smoking makes you old before your time," wrote David M. Burns, M.D., in an accompanying editorial."

Ahead of the Great American Smokeout 2008 the Cancer Society says not to start smoking, and in case you are smoking quit.

On this national smoke out day keep in mind the negative effects of smoking. It ages you and compromises your quality-of-life. Cigarette smoking accounts for at least 30% of all cancer deaths and is linked to heart disease, aneurysms, bronchitis, emphysema, and stroke, in addition to other problems. It is very important to know that the negative effects of smoking linger long after you quit smoking. The best way to protect yourself is to never start in the first place.

The following tips from the The Foundation For a Smokefree America may help you to quit smoking and can serve as a first step to help you to do something and quit smoking on this day of Great American Smokeout 2008. "If you have tried to quit smoking and failed before, take comfort in the fact that most smokers fail several times before quitting successfully. Your past failures are not a lesson that you are unable to quit. Instead, view them as part of the normal journey toward becoming a nonsmoker."

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There are two phases to help smokers to quit smoking.

* Phase One — Quitting with help
* Phase Two — Staying smokefree and not relapsing

Get help for giving up smoking, lots of it. Get into a good program, or better yet, a combination of more than one. Call your local branch of the American Cancer Society, or the American Lung or Heart Associations. All have inexpensive and effective, mainstream programs.

For the phase two remember this. After you quick smoking at some point you will be attacked by an overwhelming urge to smoke. After the urges to smoke have become more and more infrequent, overwhelming surprise attacks are sure to come, a few weeks and months into your new smoke free life. When these nearly out-of-control urges come take a deep breath. If you could just HOLD ON for 5 minutes the overpowering urge to smoke would completely pass.

The CDC reports there were 43.4 million current smokers in the U.S. (19.8%) in 2007 -- a one percent decline from the 20.8% in 2006. The findings were based on data from the 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).

"These data tell us we have made exceptional progress in the effort to reduce and eventually eliminate the death, disease, and economic challenges that tobacco use brings on its users," said Thomas J. Glynn, PhD, American Cancer Society's director of cancer science and trends and international cancer control. "Adult tobacco user prevalence is now under 20 percent for the first time since tobacco use rates began to fall during the mid-1960s."

Great American Smokeout 2008, and the American Cancer Society continue the legacy of providing free resources to help smokers quit. The Great American Smokeout was inaugurated in 1976 to inspire and encourage smokers to quit for one day. Now, 44.2 percent of the 45.3 million Americans who smoke have attempted to quit for at least one day in the past year, and the Great American Smokeout remains a great opportunity to encourage people to commit to making a long-term plan to quit for good.

Therefore, take an action on this national smoke out day 2008. Either quit smoking or help someone to give the bad habit of smoking on this Great american Smokeout day.

Comments

Hi, I quit smoking on May 5th 2007. I remember the day because I heard on the radio that it was Cinco De Mayo. I was a 2 and a half pack a day smoker of Winston lights and quit cold turkey.
Here is how to do it. First and foremost quit when you wake up! You have already gone through the worst craving you will ever have while you were asleep.
Second, Quit for YOURSELF. Quit because you want too and don't try and bring another smoker into it. They may just set YOU up for failure because if you smoke then they can too. My Wife still smokes and it doesn't bother me one bit. I quit! end of story.
Third, It IS and addiction. You WILL go through withdraw. Patches, lozenges, gum, etc are all just new delivery systems for your addiction. One day you will have to go through the withdraw so just deal with it. Don't replace one type of way to get your nicotine with another.
Forth, The easiest way out is often through. I dealt with my cravings by closing my eyes when they would hit me and feeling every bit of the craving. I would let it wash over me just like the nicotine hit used to do. The craving would pass in about the same amount of time the Nic-Hit would and then I would be okay. I also had just had a few minutes relaxation too. A little break, just like the cigarettes used to do for me.
Fifth, You are strong enough. Decide to quit. don't try to quit. Make the conscious effort to put in your mind that you are now a non-smoker. Look back on your life and remember that you were strong enough to get where you are today and that hasn't been an easy journey for anyone. Remember the times in your past when you were strong and believe in yourself. Keep doing the exercise in #4 and know that you will be alright.
This is how I did it and I don't even have the cravings like some people do even years later. If you have a craving just remember that first craving you fought off. That was the worst one. If you got through that one then you can get through THIS one and if you start again you will have to face that all over again.
In conclusion. Quit for YOU. Let the craving become a time of relaxation. Do it because you know you can.